What is Instatus?
Instatus is a status page platform that has expanded into uptime monitoring. While they offer beautiful status pages, their monitoring features came later and monitoring is limited by plan tiers with arbitrary limits on monitors and team members.
What is OnlineOrNot?
OnlineOrNot helps software teams monitor their websites, APIs, and scheduled jobs with 30-second checks from multiple global locations.
Every check runs from multiple regions before alerting—eliminating false positives. When something actually breaks, you get notified instantly via Slack, SMS, PagerDuty, or email.
Status pages are included on all paid plans. And when you need help, you email the founder directly.
Instatus often presents three critical challenges that hold engineering teams back:
1. Monitoring is an afterthought
Instatus started as a status page tool and added monitoring later. OnlineOrNot was built monitoring-first from day one, with status pages as a natural complement to real uptime data.
2. Slow checks on free and trial plans
Instatus only offers 2-minute check intervals until you pay for a Pro plan. OnlineOrNot gives you 30-second checks during your free trial - catch issues faster from the start.
3. Arbitrary monitor limits
Instatus limits you to 15 monitors on Free, 50 on Pro, 200 on Business. OnlineOrNot uses simple per-check pricing - monitor exactly what you need without hitting arbitrary limits.
Compare Instatus vs OnlineOrNot
| Feature | Instatus | OnlineOrNot |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Status pages first | Monitoring first |
| Check frequency (trial) | 2 minutes | 30 seconds |
| Check frequency (paid) | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Pricing model | Per-seat + monitor limits | Simple $2/check/month |
| Monitor limits | 15-1,000 (plan dependent) | Unlimited (pay per check) |
| Multi-location checks | Yes | 7 global regions |
| Status pages | Yes (primary focus) | Included on all paid plans |
| Custom domains | Paid plans only | All plans |
| Cron job monitoring | Limited | Built-in heartbeat monitoring |
| API monitoring | Basic | Full API validation |
| Support | Tiered by plan | Direct founder access |
How OnlineOrNot improves reliability
Faster detection without the noise
30-second checks catch issues before users notice. Multi-location verification filters out false positives. You get speed without alert fatigue.
Everything in one place
Monitor websites, APIs, cron jobs, and heartbeats from one dashboard. Track SSL certificate expiry on every check. No need to stitch together multiple tools.
Status pages included
Keep customers informed with hosted status pages on your domain. Subscribers get automatic notifications when incidents are created or resolved. Included on all paid plans—not an upsell.
Unlimited team members, real support
Add your whole team on any plan. When you need help, email the founder directly—no ticket queues, no tiered support, responses within hours.
The migration process
1. Sign up free
Create your account with a 14-day trial. No credit card required.
2. Add your critical monitors
Start with your most important endpoints—core URLs, key APIs, any cron jobs that can't fail silently.
3. Run in parallel
Run OnlineOrNot alongside your current tool for 1-2 weeks. Compare alert quality and response times.
4. Migrate fully
Move all monitors over. We offer white-glove migration support—email the founder directly.
5. Cancel the old tool
Turn off your previous monitoring. You'll likely save money while getting faster, more reliable alerts.
Need to pitch OnlineOrNot to your bosses?
Here are the key points to help you get stakeholder buy-in:
"We'll catch issues before customers report them"
30-second checks detect outages 10x faster than 5-minute intervals. Multi-location verification means we only get real alerts.
"We're going to save money"
Transparent per-check pricing. No surprise overages. Status pages included, not an add-on.
"We get everything in one tool"
Uptime, API monitoring, cron jobs, heartbeats, and status pages. One subscription, one dashboard.
"We can actually get support"
Direct access to the founder. No tickets, no tiers, no waiting days for answers.